Wichita eagle., 1887-09-28
IT MAKES Us TIRED.
Wichita and Topeka and Other Kansas
Towns.


future populations Of Kansas towns say
some funny things. The writer quotes
some very sensible remarks from the New
ton Republican but goes on to some ridic
ulous conclusions of his own. He stigma
Ties Wichita as being crazy and as having
spent much money advertising to keep VI
her craze. The EAGLE wants to say to the
Commonwealth and to everybody else thai
| Wichita has never spent cents where To
peka has spent dollars In advertising and
that there are at least four towns In south
west Kansas which have spent five times as
much money in advertising as Wichita ever
did. One town In this valley has spent
more money this fall In advertising
than Wichita has In five years.
The truth of the matter is that the
EAGLE has done nine-tenths Of all the
effective advertising ever done for Wichita,
and such advertising never cost the city as
such one cent, and only as her people felt
moved In buying extra copies to send to
friends east. Her natural, pre-eminent
advantages and unrivaled prosperity have
advertised her.
The Commonwealth, after working it.
self over the line of veracity and reason,
goes on with the unqualified declaration
that Topeka Is the largest and best city in
Kansas" and that the place ought to reach
10000 That Topeka ought to reach
1O0, 900, probably no well Informed person
will deny, but that she is now or ever will
be In the future the largest city in Kansas
is simple CANNON, an assertion void OF
sense, and made In face of facts familiar
to even the children of Topeka's own
schools. Wichita has thousands OF
population more than Topeka, and the
Commonwealth has but to consult
official returns to verify the statement.
Wichita has millions more Of taxable valu
tions, and the Commonwealth need but go
one square to be convinced by the official
figures Wichita In five years will have
double the population of Topeka, as any
body who ever saw both places, and who
has an ounce Of reason will tell the Com
monwealth. Wichita has five fine resi-
dences to every one of Topeka's. Wichita
has built finer, taller and more costly bust
ness houses than Topeka ever built or ever
will build until she has reached at least
fifty thousand inhabitants. Wichita re-
ceives more tons Of freight in day than
Topeka does In week, does more business
In day than Topeka does in a week, has
more people on her streets in single hour
than Topeka does in week, has more cap
ital and cash In a minute than Topeka has
In month. does more manufac
turing in q day than Topeka does
outside of the Santa Fe railroad shops in
month and will within a year be doing
greater manufacturing business than all the
cities of Kansas put together. Ii these are
the things that constitute craziness then
indeed is wichita not only crazy but will
within the next five years. become an IN
governable lunatic asylum.
The commonwealth. in the course of its
article, depreciates newspaper blowing and
says that it is mistake to misrepresent the
advantages Of town. In these conclu-
sions the EAGLE most heartily agrees with
the Commonwealth. In short, this SEN
tence contains the only sense TO be found
In the Commonwealth entire article.
There are a number Of towns In this state
which are being downed, irretrievably
downed, by the lies of their newspapers
and the Commonwealth ought to be more
careful of its statements when setting
forth the present size and prospective in
terests of Topeka. The home seeker, the
investor, capitalist, manufacturer or bust
ness man who has been misled by Hes
generally finds 1t out before anchoring. In
any event he is disguised man. The
EAGLE has always guarded against blowing.
1t was governed by caution bordering on
the extreme In its statements touching the
advantages of Wichita. and Of what she
udi anu WIist SnS CA kSStSu' AS Oh CaiuC
of the truth of this declaration we appeal
to all of the thousands upon thousands of
people who have visited this city
through the representations of the
EAGLE TO say if they didn't find twice
as much and IN every respect far greater
city than they expected. The EAGLE d.
lates on only one half Of the truth. leav
ing the other as happy surprise, which
does the business.
The Commonwealth says that Topeka
Is the capital of the state and that she has
the Santa Fe shops. This is true enough;
and she Is welcome to them. Wichita, al |
though nearer the center of population and |
very much nearer the geographical center
Of the state, does not want the capital |
Springfield is the capital of Illinois and |
Albany is the capital of New York, and |
Columbus Is the capital of Ohio, but
neither Chicago, Cincinnati or New York |
City suffer per consequence that we
hsve heard tell Of As far
railroad shops Wichita has had two oppor-
.unities for such plants, but the men who
controlled her destines being assured of her
future commercial and manufacturing
greatness did not choose to take shy
chances In tying so young city TO the